connecticut. newtown bee reporting one child was carried out by a police officer and apparently the child was wounded. how we do not know and seriousness is not clear either. >> it says dozens of state troopers are on the scene. they're assisting local police. heavily-armed police gathered around the school at 10:45. this is all so recent. stretchers have been set up and saging area set up for the parents of students in the school. very terrifying situation in newtown area. our coverage will continue. bill: coverage continues on "happening now.". jenna: if you're just joining us a school shooting in connecticut. still uncon fermed details. this happened at sandy hook elementary school about hour and a half ago. according to wires and local reports we're getting some information there are several injuries at this

elementary school this friday morning. a few details about this area. this place, this newtown, township, in connecticut is about 60 miles from new york city. it's a town of less than 30,000 people. so small community and a small elementary school at that we're trying to work on details what actually transpired this morning but according to the latest, we have unconfirmed report from the local paper, the courrant, there are two shooters being reported. one shooter is dead according to this report. another one is still on the loose. again very spotty reporting at this time. we're working very hard to get someone on the scene there. you're looking at a satellite shot of this elementary school. again a very developing scene there shortly after 9:40 this morning according to the local newspaper. police reported a shooter was in the main office of the school. a person in one room according to police and according to this local report had numerous gunshot wound. working to confirm this.

we have a someone from sanford, connecticut. veto, how do we find answers to the questions? >> you have a lot going on here, one of the main concerns police have you have every single parent with a child in this school trying, and they're trying to get into the school and you have to keep them out of course. what is going on, this is still confusing, it has been since it broke. now you've got a shooter. what's going on here? is this a male that had a relationship with a woman teacher that is is going in there? is this somebody laid off not too long ago. ? you have a lot of answers. the main thing is the children and you may be stuck with them now being locked down until the police can actually get in there and do their homework in the entire school. that's what you got going here, jenna. this is a beautiful city. this is a beautiful city. it is very small. it is ritzy and quiet let's say. it is very different from

stamford, bridgeport, new haven and other communities around there. jenna: questions remain as you mentioned and we're working to get some of those answers as this story develops. here are some live scene shoots we have into our newsroom. vito, one of the things we're working to get is a picture in the local newspaper being reported on the associated press. apparently this local newspaper has a photo of younger students, some crying, some looking frightened according to this description, being escorted by adults through a parking lot in line, hands on each other's shoulders. the number one thing is to try to get the kids out of the school. at this point, hour and a half after this news breaks is it likely all the students are out? >> i would, i would doubt that right now. it takes a while. you're not dealing with high school kids, even middle schoolkids, very quickly they can go out. you're dealing with five to 10-year-olds probably scared out of their wits right now. little by little you have to

take them out. make sure there is not anybody else or bad guy in this area. looks like it will come to a head pretty soon but the whole then during the course of your workday, why, what happened here? jenna: sure. >> is it somebody disgruntled. did somebody break up with somebody? somebody treat their kid wrong in the school? jenna: very difficult to speculate at this time. vito, thank you very much. we'll call on you again as we get information. we want to share this with our viewers. lt. paul vance of the connecticut state police has this to share with us. he says there will be a news conference on site at 1:30 eastern time. he is giving time frame at the sandy hook elementary school. he says they're not releasing further details at this moment, but he referred to it as quote, a large scene. we'll give you more as we get it. right now some brand new stories and breaking news. jon: you know ambassador susan rice withdraws her

name from consideration to be secretary of state. why she backed out and who's in the running now. also a nightmare for a former marine, jailed for months in mexico on what his family says are trumped up charges. how they are fighting to bring him back home. almost a century later new information on the hindenburg disaster. we'll look into what caused it with an expert, all "happening now." jon: and a good friday morning to you. the u.n. ambassador susan rice takes herself out of the running to be secretary of state, ending a long standoff with senate republican who is promised to fight her nomination. i'm jon scott. jenna: a big development there. hi, everybody, i'm jenna lee. and the ambassador making it official in a letter to the president saying she didn't want her nomination to become anymore of a distraction. ambassador rice has been under fire as you know weeks

after making statements about the deadly attack on our consulate in libya, originally calling the attack quote, spontaneous. she offered disclaimers in those statements. that term and way she described it, really under heavy criticism by her critics. in the weeks that followed the ambassador met with leading republicans to try to smooth over things. now her decision could have a ripple effect from the white house to capitol hill, probably reshaping the makeup of the president's second term cabinet and also maybe the senate. wendell goler is live at the white house with all of this. wendell, was this rice's decision or was this a decision made by the white house? >> reporter: jenna, by all accounts it was rice's call although there is no indication president obama pressed her to reconsider. he angrily criticized republicans for attacking rice over her initial explanation for the benghazi consulate attack and in a written statement yesterday he said, quote, while i deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on susan rise in recent weeks, her

decision demonstrates the strength of her character. rice told nbc's brian williams, she didn't want to be a distraction. >> i didn't want to see a confirmation process that was very prolonged, very politicized, very distracting, and very disruptive because there are so many things we need to get done as a country. >> reporter: meanwhile south carolina republican senator lindsey graham says he still believes rice misled the public and he won't give up his attempt to find out why, jenna. jenna: there were many rumors she would be nominated for the secretary of state position, wendell, it is important to remind our viewers she never was. >> reporter: no. jenna: we're still wondering who will be nominated. what names are you hearing? >> reporter: by all accounts john kerry is now the frontrunner, probablyly without any fight from the senate colleagues over the confirmation hearing. kerry is the chairman of the

foreign relations committee with extensive foreign policy experience. since the democratic governor of his home state of massachusetts will choose a replacement, the democrats won't lose a senate seat at least not in the short-term. we can expect that announcement reasonably soon. we're hear former republican senator chuck hagel of nebraska is in line to replace defense secretary his wife he can return to california. hagel likely to have easy senate confirmation though israel supporters say hagel is not supportive of enough of efforts to isolate iran. a few other possibilities. tom donilon becomes the president's chief of staff. jack lew, former budget director goes to treasury to replace tim geithner who says he won't have a second term and. jenna: a bit of musical chairs as we go into the new year and see who fills those positions.

wendell, thank you for the latest. jon: ambassador rice might be bowing out but the investigation into our attack on consulate in libya is far from over. the ambassador defending her response in the days immediately after the attack. listen. >> i don't think anybody is ever wholly blameless but i didn't do anything wrong. i didn't mislead. i didn't misrepresent. i did the best with the information the united states government had at the time. jon: south carolina republican senator lindsey graham said even though ambassador rice will not lead the state department the congressional inquiry what happened in benghazi will continue. listen. >> susan rice, in my opinion misled the public and there are other problems with her time and politics and the national foreign affairs arena. problems were deeper than me and deeper than benghazi but we're not going to let this go. jon: joining us now for his take on these developments, former u.n. ambassador john

bolton. he is also a fox news contributor. mr. ambassador, i'm guessing you read the letter to the, the op-ed piece in "the washington post" this morning which susan rice talks about why she decided to submit her wii drawl letter from consideration. she writes this as it became clear my potential nomination would spark enduring partisan battle i concluded it would be wrong to allow this debate to continue distracting from urgent national priorities. were there any enduring partisan battles when you were serving in that same job? >> well, probably so but you know, what's unusual about this circumstance obviously is she had not been nominated yet and to have the little exchange that we had yesterday, she writes to the president. the president issues a statement, results in the obama administration preemptively surrendering on a war that hadn't been declared yet. you know when jim baker was

chief of staff for ronald reagan, he operated on a principle that the president never loses. that you try and structure things so that the president doesn't take any unnecessary hits because you're trying to maximize the president's influence. this is an example of the white house for reasons utterly inexplicable to me announcing they have lost when they didn't have to do it. they could have nominated john kerry, whomever, said he was leading contender all along and away they go. i think it is a real incentive for republicans on the hill on the fiscal cliff talks or whatever it might be, not to overestimate the president's political power. jon: she wrote one other thing that caught my eye. she said, after the despicable terrorist attacks that took the lives of four colleagues in benghazi our bought must work through serious questions and bring the perpetrators to justice. we must strengthen security at our diplomatic posts and improve intelligence in a

volatile middle east. is that a bit like closing the barn door after the horses escaped? >> exactly. that is what senator graham and others have been saying. they will continue to press the investigation on benghazi. why the requests for enhanced security before the attack on september the 11th not granted? why were we unable to do anything on the september the 11th and where did the administration come up with the story that the terrorist attack was somehow connected to the mohammed video? in a way i think susan rice's withdrawal of her secretary of state candidacy really clears a way potential obstacle. now there is no talk about racism or sexism. now we can get to the point the president himself asked for, what did he do wrong? what did his administration do wrong that led to four americans being murdered? so i think it's important to proceed down that road, perhaps starting next week with secretary of state hillary clinton's testimony up on the hill. jon: that is going to be fascinating to watch.

ambassador bolton, good to have you on. thank you. >> thank you. jenna: we'll get back to the school shooting in connecticut. we're just learning more information on what happened this morning. harris, you have more for us in the newsroom. >> reporter: let's catch everybody up in case they're just tuning in, jenna. this is newtown, connecticut. the sandy hook elementary school reported a shooting hour and a half ago. state police in connecticut are assisting local police here in the area and here is what is being reported of the a dispatcher with the newtown voluntary ambulance corps said one teacher has been transported to nearby hospital in danbury possibly with a gunshot wound. we don't know the extent of that injury. i can tell you other schools in the area are locked down. this would affect 5400 children in this very small community in that lockdown position. the school we're talking about, jenna, had toddlers to fifth graders reportedly. what we know now is they are

asking parents to sit by a phone and wait for a call from the newtown central community center. they want that as a dispatch rather than parents showing up. they want parents to stay back so they can work the scene, secure it but also try to catch suspects or any evidence that they need to gather at that time along with helping any potential injured. but the other reason is they want those parents to be in a location where they can be easily reached. should the worst happen and they need to contact them about that. so that's the latest now. newtown, connecticut. a town on edge, schools on lockdown at this point. no more to report. no deto report on the actual shooter or shooters in this because those reports are still unconfirmed. i don't want to fill in too many details we can't firm up. our fox affiliate from new york, nyw is in flight to get there by chopper as we learn more about this situation of course we'll bring it to you. jenna. jenna: harris, a little more

information about the school we're just learning. sandy hook elementary school has nearly 700 students. so quite a large number of students inside that school. just a little bit more background. school starts its day around 9:00 in the morning. according to the district exterior doors to the school are locked at 9:30 a.m. any visitors to the school are required to ring a doorbell and staff uses video to identify that person, jon, and to bring them into school or not. since the shooting happened at 9:30 according to reports, again a lot of questions yet to be answered in many reports we're trying to confirm. jon: fairfield county where this school is located is one of the wealthiest counties really in the entire country. this is close enough to new york city, 60 miles away or so, it is considered a bedroom community. there are certainly going to be a lot of parents there who commute into new york city. a lot of those parents are maybe just now finding out what has developed back in their hometown, some 60

miles away. there is going to be all kind of panic among parents trying to get back there, get to their children. of course, as you said, jenna, the police asked parents to stay away from the school for now. they have the situation under control as best they can there at sandy hook elementary. jenna: we should be clear. as of right now we have no reports of injured students we have confirmed. harris mentioned one report of a teacher, potentially a gunshot wound to the foot. we're still working on getting information. our local affiliate from wssb is following this. we'll listen to the latest. >> we're doing our best as we're getting reports. state police are he is had tant to say anything until they can confirm it. the tone they're giving us this unfortunately will be a very, verier serious incident at sandy hook element tri. >> we heard that from lieutenant paul vance state police spokesperson. you heard him from our coverage many, many times. he headed to the scene. he couldn't give us a lot of

details while he himself was heading there he did say this appeared to be a very serious shooting at that school. we're talking about the sandy hook elementary school. that is a k-4 school, about the 600 students on dickinson drive. to give you an idea where that is located, i don't know if we get pinpoint news tracker up. we're in western connecticut. just below the bottom of our screen would be i-84. if you travel through i-84 through connecticut just before danbury before exits 10 and 11, just approaching the new york state line but not quite there. this is in newtown. a very busy area. many of those roads access on to and off the highway. this is an area right now completely locked down. we have crews all over the state covering other stories this morning where state police happened to be and they reported to us state troopers from all over the state of connecticut are racing to this location. >> what strikes me reported

these on national scene when it happened in other states generally you're talking about a high school or middle school. to hear this happening at a k-4 school is not that it is anymore serious but with young children there it is that much more frightening. >> absolutely. this is video len shot on the way to the school. len taking video on his phone heading there. just ahead of him, difficult to see, difficulty point, one of the s.w.a.t. teams, armored vehicles heading to the school. they raced to newtown from all over the state of connecticut. connecticut has regional system where different parts of the state are covered by different emergency response teams as they call them. they would have a western district emergency response team would be in that area, would be able to get there quickly. as you see from len's video heading on i-84 from hartford, they called for s.w.a.t. teams from all over the state. many, many state police resources there. one person was transported to the hospital.

newtown volunteer ems confirmed to "eyewitness news" they transported someone shot in the foot. this is not just shots fired in the school. we not at least one person hurt in the gunfire. >> we're seeing sad photos, kids are traumatized as leaving the school. parents are asked to stay by the phone. do not go to the school. there are lines of pirnts at the firehouse where some children were evacuated. at this point we're getting unconfirmed reports there is one shooter. some reports are saying two shooters. most of the reports are consistent there are several injuries. there is some new information coming out saying that danbury hospital has already received at least three people. >> and also we know bridgeport hospital, new haven hospital, both on standby. as well as they are, all the hospitals have teams they activate in the case of possible situations where more than one person or many people could be injured. those teams have been activated.

bridgeport hospital, yale new haven hospital and danbury hospital as well. and that has obviously raised the level of concern. they do say right now that much of the work that's being done there at the scene is trying to account for both what happened and who is where. you talk about a school, elementary school, as you were saying kara, we talk about young children, 600 children in grades k-4. obviously have young children. you have to figure out who's where. account for all the children. who was at school. who was home sick. that process is happening. staff members, parents, a lot of work on the administrative side to figure out who's where and account for everybody. >> you are to in days of social media. the principal has a twitter account --. jon: you've been watching coverage from wfsb out of hartford, connecticut that is our fox affiliate there, taking about the school shooting at the sandy hook he will trent -- elementary school, newtown,

connecticut. 60 miles northeast of new york city. a bedroom community if you will. a gunman, possibly two gunmen have wreaked havoc at that school this morning. we're getting two separate reports saying that the gunman is dead but more than that we do not know. other injuries we do not know about other than the report of the person shot in the foot as you just heard. so we are continuing to stay on top of this very fluid situation. we'll be back with more information as we get it straight ahead "happening now." i had enough of feeling embarrassed about my skin.

[ designer ] enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel®, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections,

tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel.

jenna: welcome back. we continue to follow these breaking developments out of newtown, connecticut, where a school shooting took place about two hours ago. this is our affiliate wnyw. we're getting our first live look over the screen. you see the dog at the center of the screen? according to local reports

there are dogs currently in the school searching, continuing to search probably for evidence or whether or not there is additional gunman. we heard numerous reports on this breaking news there was one gunman, maybe two. now we have two report that is one gunman may be dead. but as you can understand this is a fast-moving, very fluid situation at the school. let's notice that car that they have cordoned off, jon. what we also learned today is that around 9:30 is when the school locks its doors. we also understand around 9:30 is when the shooting took place. so still a lot of questions yet to be answered what exactly transpired here. jon: we saw in the aerial shot just a little bit earlier, during the commercial break, the triage area where they set up red and yellow tarps, victims are brought out of a scene like this and placed on those tarps based on the initial assessments of their physical conditions. red obviously being the worst. and nobody was on either one

of the tars. that is potentially a bit of visual good news but again it's too early to tell. there are the tarps there. they are as far as we can tell unoccupied. that is a bit of good news. these developments are still very sketchy. police obviously have their handful just conducting the investigation. again as jenna said the report is that the gunman is dead. that has come from two separate sources and the early reports of two gunmen have not been verified although it's looking less and less like that may be a reality. jenna: such a good point. the superintendent's office of the district, the secretary there would not even confirm the shooting about 45 minutes ago. so still trying to piece together so much information. as we show you the students, we want to point out to you, this elementary school of nearly 900 students has k-4. so you're dealing with very young children that are at that school. we listened to local news reports that said according to the local hospitals there

have been numerous injuries but again we haven't been able to substantiate that. right now still trying to work out motive and what actually happened here and what actually the students saw because as we all know, as we continue to reflect on these school shootings, what they witnessed is something that every parent or anyone that, you know, don't necessarily have to be a parent to care about what these kids actually went through. harris is working at the breaking news desk for any new details on the story. harris, what have you learned? >> reporter: i just got off the phone with the police department, jenna, and they did not indicate in any way shape or form they are searching for anyone at this point. they would not confirm much for me on the phone. i can tell you this. about 15 minutes from now there will be a command post set up in the center there, right next to, this is what i learned, right next to the triage portion. jon, you pointed out no one is on that tarp right now. they have transported one person. we don't know what they're doing on the inside to bring people out. so that might be good news,

it might not be, that there is no one out there on that triage right now. just adjacent to that will be a command post in a short little while, so people can be told, a, what number you can call if you're a parent. they haven't set that up but they're working on it. the flipside is the newtown emergency communications center they want parents to sit by their phones at home. i told you that earlier. we were able to confirm that. at this point, again, no confirmation that they're searching for anyone. and having seen scenes like this before, jon and jenna, there is not that urgency on foot from this live picture. and that's important to note because generally speaking when there is active search you see that urgency. it could indicate along with the fact that no one said anything to me they were searching for anyone, that they feel like this scene is contained. their main goal right now is the children, securing safety there and also getting as much information out. i assume we will learn much more in just a short little

while as they get that command post set up but i've got good lines of communication into the town right now. we'll update you as i learn more. jenna: the associated press, harris, now coming out saying according to an official the gunman has been killed in the shooting at this elementary school. i want to recap the timeline and catch everybody up to what happened over the last two hours. we mentioned to you, 9:30 in the morning at this elementary school the exterior doors are locked and no one is allowed in unless identified through video surveillance service. at 9:40, 10 minutes after that happened, police reported a shooter was in the main office of the school. one person in one room had numerous gunshot wound again according to police. we saw about an hour after that students were being led out of the school by their teachers but we also learned around that time, around 10:30 some students were also still in the school at that time. jon: we are being told as jenna just mentioned, this official is identifying the dead as a gunman, male.

we also know that of the seven or eight top people in this school the only male is the head custodian. what i'm saying is that the principal, the vice-principal, all of the top leadership of this school, are all females. so if this was some kind of a domestic dispute that spilled over into the workplace we do not know but that is certainly a possibility here. again, the gunman we're told is dead. one person, one teacher reportedly shot in the foot. as jenna mentioned another person reportedly shot multiple times, but again the identifications of these victims still in the offing. jenna: still a lot of questions about whether or not any of the children were witness to the shooting and whether or not we have any injuries among the children. right now we can report to you that the only confirmed fatality that we've learned of is the gunman as jon has

mentioned. we're going to continue to collect information, watch this live scene out of newtown, connecticut. be right back with more breaking details. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...try kids boxes!

jenna: back to that breaking news out of newtown, connecticut, where we're watching the developments in this school shooting that took place about the two hours ago. we're getting a live shot from wnyw. see the triage area, the multiple mats on the ground there? we've seen stretchers out.

luckily we can report to you that we haven't seen anybody injured at the scene. according to some other reports, including a local official, the gunman that is at the center of the shooting is dead. we have multiple reports that are conflicting about injuries and who has been injured. so we're going to wait until we get can get more information before bringing that to you but again sandy hook elementary school, 60 miles from new york city. small community. rather large elementary school of nearly 700 students, kin guard 10 to 4th grade. a shooting at this elementary school. breaking details as we come into the newsroom. jon? jon: now that u.n. ambassador susan rice officially has taken herself out of the running to become secretary of state there is new speculation who president obama's nomination will go to. right now massachusetts senator john kerry considered to be at the top of the list. let's talk about it with paul gigot, editorial page editor of "the wall street journal." ironic, because if

it had been susan rice, john kerry's committee would have to confirm her in the senate. >> that's right. jon: now that problem is done away with. >> well, that's right. and it would have been a big fight. jon: not a problem i should say. the circumstance. >> it would have been a big political fight. in that sense susan rice did the president a favor by removing herself from the, from the discussions so that they won't have to have this fight and the president won't have to spend the political capital he would have had to spend to get her confirmed. jon: interesting, even republicans like senator mccain are generally praising john kerry. is he a slam dunk? >> remember, the senate's a club. jon: yeah. >> less so than it used to be but it's still a club and the only senator that i can recall who was not confirmed when he was named to a cabinet position was the late john tower when george h.w. bush appointed him to be defense secretary. he was defeated. so most senators get the

jobs when they're nominated. i think john kerry would not be an exception. jon: what about the criticism that, you know, came up during his presidential campaign? this was a young man who went to site in vietnam. he came home and spoke out strongly against the vietnam war and especially about the conduct of american soldiers there. is that going to bedevil him? >> i think it will in some quarters. i think it will be raised. i don't know whether senators themselves or how many of them will have the real stomach to do that because they will say to themselves, well, you know, that was vetted before. he is not running for president. he is running to be, to work for another president. i think some of the other things will come up though. john kerry's views on syria where he said we could deal with bashar assad previously. wanted to have accommodation with him. now we know that is totally wrong. you will see some of those issues vet the but i don't know how much the senate really wants to fight again over vietnam.

jon: what about foreign policy, let's say he gets the job as john kerry undersecretary of state. what do you see happening? >> i don't see much difference between what we've seen. this administration runs foreign policy mostly out of the white house. it has for four years. i think it would for another four years. john kerry would be able to advise at the margins, maybe somewhat less hawkishly than hillary clinton has, believe it or not. he is very reluctant to intervene overseas, for example. militarily he likes to defer to the united nations. in that sense not much of a change from barack obama. >> very quickly on the political calculation though, the white house generally woip think about nominating a senator if they didn't feel they could get another democrat to replace him. what about scott brown running to replace, well, secretary kerry if he is confirmed? >> that would be one of the white house's calculations. do they want to take that risk of an open seat. if scott brown ran, he would

have a very good shot winning again. that might be part of their calculation. on the other hand, they still have a five-seat majority. they would still have a four-seat majority even if they lost that seat. jon: interesting, paul. thank you. >> thank you. jon: you can catch paul tomorrow as always, 2:00 p.m. eastern time during the "journal editorial report" right here on fox news channel. jenna: and, jon, we have brand new developments in the school shooting out of connecticut. a live look at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut, 60 miles from new york city. according to an unnamed official talking to the associated press the shooter is dead. at least one teacher wounded. and apparently the students when this happened, the shooting, were sent out into the parking lot. we showed you that one picture, one group of the students being led out in a line but apparentlies a the scene is coming together we're getting this picture, one shooter, a teacher wounded and a lot of questions about unconfirmed injuries that we've heard from multiple sources in and around the area.

want to point out one more thing. although we hear the shooter is dead we told you about 40 minutes ago we were hearing reports there might be two shooters. right now those reports are unconfirmed and we're hear being more details the shooter pave had two guns. as these stories develop often times we have to go back to paint pieces of the picture exactly what happened here. according to the associated press, the shooter dead. at least one teacher wounded. the injuries unknown. and at that time no reports of injuries when it comes to students but we're still working on that information. as we learn more we will bring that to you. be right back with more "happening now." [ male announcer ] red lobster's hitting the streets

to tell real people about our new 15 under $15 menu. oh my goodness! oh my gosh, this looks amazing! [ male announcer ] our new maine stays! 15entrees under $15, seafood, chicken and more! oothe tilapiawith roastedegetab! i'm actually looking at the wo grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. at pork chop was great! no more fast food friday's! we're going to go to red lobster. yep. [ male announcer ] come try our new menu and sea food differently and introducing 7 lunch choices for just $7.99.

jon: "happening now", still trying to clarify exactly what happened in newtown, connecticut, about 9:30 this morning, a little over two hours ago, when a gunman apparently walked into sandy hook elementary school with two guns we are told and opened fire.

there are report that is one teacher was shot in the foot. we're told another person was shot multiple times, and the gunman is confirmed to be dead. but again, a very chaotic scene. we don't know whether there were any students injured. we don't know whether students witnessed this terrible event. obviously the parking lot is full of emergency response vehicles. parents have been told to stay away. there is a firehouse where parents are being told to gather to find out about the situation regarding their children. again, we have no indication at this point that any children were actually shot or affected by this but, again, the information, it is still a very chaotic scene, this incident, less than, well, just about two hours old now. because of the chaos and the questions yet to be answered f the answers but again the gunman is reported to be dead. initial reports had two gunmen involved. that often results from multiple people saying that they saw slightly different

things, slightly different descriptions. so in an abundance of caution police will sometimes be on the lookout for more than one gunman but at this point we don't have any indication that is the case. again you can see our fox fill at, wnyw chopper is over the school in the air. newtown, connecticut, less than two ours ago we'll keep you updated as the situation change. jenna: a new report from the senate intelligence committee find enhanced interrogation techniques used on 9/11 suspects were in effective. this is a 6,000 page report. it is not made public, but one official says waterboarding used on khalid sheikh mohammed didn't help find usama bin laden and were actually counter productive to the war on terror. we're joined by mike baker,

a former cia operative. we're mentioned this report was passed along partisan lines in this committee. there is controversy about it. your thoughts? >> it shouldn't be any surprise the civil liberties groups and democrats on the committee jumped on board with this and republicans did not. there appear to be, this is part of this is speculation, seems if they went through the report and calling it an independent report but i do believe it was partisan, there were some things omitted. there were a lot of interviews that weren't done with people directly involved but, you know, continues sort of the drumbeat that took place for years during the previous administration, during the bush administration by democrats and people on civil liberties side, they grab the high ground. they said look, you either talk and chat to a detainee, you know, try to win them over and get information, or it's torture. their point was and they grabbed this high ground early on in debate, there is nothing in between. that is insane.

that is nonsense. of course there is enhanced techniques in between that fallwell short of torture. jenna: can you give us an example. >> sleep deprivation under controlled circumstances. temperature control. audio issues. stressed positions. part of this is that we already released so much information about that program. jenna: you bring us to a larger point hire. this is just one report but i would like to talk to you a little bit about the cia how it operates now and how it does its job which is ultimately to protech the united states of america. there has been so much happened in the last 10 years but there's also a lot that happened in the last several months, with libya, with the petraeus scandal as well. how do you think this plays into the actual work that the cia needs to accomplish on a daily basis? >> right. we would like to think the threats to america from terrorism have ended. there was a little bit of that ground swell for a while. people realized, no, that is not the case. there are still hostile elements out there that

spend their days figuring out how to attack us and our allies. when you talk about enhanced techniques, when you talk about taking that off the table, and the aggressive intear graduation techniques were stopped by bush administration. it happened years ago. it is pretty clear to our enemies overseas what it is we can and can't do. jenna: how does that affect our ability to protech the country? what have we really learned, if we take independent of this report, what have we learned? are we better off? >> we are better off because we understand the enemy more. we had a lot of success over the years taking out a lot of their key personnel. they have almost seems like bottomless pool of potential recruits. but when you talk about, are we better off? well, it's a little bit like this report, right? how long is a piece of string? people say techniques, i keep wanting to go back to the report, these techniques didn't work. it is inane to say they didn't work ever. the reality is, always a little bit more complicated. the reality is, sometimes enhanced techniques work,

sometimes they don't. what we did though in our rush to show how righteous we are during this process was we took them completely off the table. we removed the element of surprise from the kit bag. whether you use them or not, you don't tell the enemy what you can and can't do. what we did --. jenna: what is the damage for that? >> the damage is, going forward and going forward for quite some time ever since the obama administration said all we could do with what is army field manual, i couldn't break my teenage daughter with the army field manual. you advise those in the future who work against us if we pick them up off the battlefield they though exactly what we can and can't do. the element of surprise is important in the interrogation process. jenna: as we look ahead to the year ahead and how safe we are. great to have you on set with us, mike. >> thank you. jenna: really appreciate it. jon? jon: a fox news alert and we are going to take you back now to a live look above

sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connect cult. this is new video just into the fox newsroom from our wnyw chopper. you see the cordoned off area in the parking lot of that school where nine: 40 this morning a gunman walked in to the school and carrying two guns and opened fire. one person shot multiple times. the a teacher shot in the foot. the gunman himself is reported to be dead. you can see people carrying children out. this was an elementary school. and is an elementary school. what children saw or heard we do not yet know. parents have been asked to stay away. the children were taken out into the parking lot after the shots rang out. but a very fluid situation and a lot of questions as to what happened there. we'll be back with more coverage in just a moment. ok! it's a new way to get cash back deals and it's called bankamerideals. i sign in to my online banking... click the "cash back deals" tab...

and pick the deals i want. i just use my bank of america debit or credit card when i pay. and then i get up to 15% cash back... put into my account! i know, right? [ male announcer ] introducinbankamerideals, free for online banking customers. sign in to your online banking to choose your deals today.

jon: fox news alert and a very fluid and chaotic situation in newtown, connecticut, where a gunman walked into an elementary school 9:30 eastern time this morning a little over two hours ago and opened fire. we're told that gunman is dead but what are the other people inside the school? harris has some new information for us from the breaking news desk. harris? >> reporter: i can tell you that a code red was issued to this town not long ago and now we're hearing from separate --, i want to draw everybody's attention to something we're seeing in the middle of the screen. the car that is pulling in the center now appears to be that of the type that a coroner's office would use. we're working now, we're hearing in the newsroom that from different sources that there are multiple injuries and in this now, possibly children among them. i have not been able to get the mayor, the police

officers, to confirm this for me but i can tell you that at 1:00, as we reported, 1:00 p.m. eastern here, they will be holding a news conference to let everybody know what they have learned about the situation and bring us all up to speed and who was injured and possibly worse today. reports, you're seeing it on our screen right now, of multiple injuries, fatalities as well at the school. i'm not able to confirm with sources on the ground but i have heard now from different people away from the scene, including nearby mayor of danbury, mark bouton, who said multiple people are hurt in this. as we learn more we'll bring it to you. jon, jenna. jenna: harris, you mentioned mayor mark bowden on the phone from neighboring danbury. mr. mayor, what can you tell us about the situation and about the potential injuries? >> well at this point our hospital is treating v. victims in danbury. the there will be a presser at 1:00 the press will be

able to attend to get more details what happened. obviously our hearts and prayers go out to the folks and victims and families of the victims right now. it is a difficult time for everybody in the greater danbury area. all of our schools at danbury have heightened police awareness and presence as well as all the regional schools in the area. so we're working on it hard and we'll bring all the assistance we can to newtown. jenna: mr. mayor, you mentioned three victims at the hospital, what can you tell us about them. are they teachers or students? >> i can't discuss who they are and nature of their injuries. i will tell you that some of the injuries are, are serious but other than that i can't discuss it. jenna: what about the children? do we know if the children in the school witnessed this incident? do you know if it happened inside a classroom? >> i don't know the details. our crime scene investigators along with state police are doing what they need to do which is piece together the incident. i'm sure there will be much more detailed information at 1:00 for everybody but

obviously in the area a very scary situation for all parents in the greater danbury area. jenna: we want to ask you on our screen. we have reports of multiple fatalities from a local newspaper. we've been able to confirm through local officials, the associated press, that the gunman is dead. do you know of any other fatalities? >> there are multiple fatalities and the gunman is dead, that's correct. jenna: the multiple fatalities, again we can't identify the people -- >> i can't. jenna: of course. we understand. we want to be respectful of that. mr. mayor, we appreciate the information you can provide to us. can you take us back to what you do know transpired this morning, perhaps give us an idea of what happened early on? >> well, obviously the shooting took place earlier this morning. i will say newtown, the town of newtown, their administrative team did a tremendous job managing a very difficult situation. they're obviously very tied up right now and will be talking a little later what the steps they took.

every community since 9/11 in this area has an action plan, whether relates to school shooter or mass casualty, event. we drill it all the time. we practice it all the time. the kids practice it all the time. that's why we do these things with tragic situations. we're ready for them. jenna: we see your response by the way. the response looks overwhelming on the ground, with state and local police. have you heard of any motive for the shooting? >> all that is open for investigation. that is something we'll find out as the afternoon goes on. jenna: getting back to fatalities at this time, what can you tell us about the fatalities? can you give us any information on whether or not it is administration, teachers, children, anything? >> i'm sorry, i can't. i just can't. >> that's okay. we understand. our viewers have been so patient with us for the last several hours and you have as well because it has been a very chaotic situation. i want to point out to our viewers, often times,

mr. mayor, you know this as well, she is shootings happen in high schools. when you have high schools you have students, they are texting, tweeting on facebook. there is lot of communication right away. we have to remind our viewers these are little kids, kindergarten through fourth grade. >> that's right. jenna: at this school. that definitely affects information. jon you have questions for the mayor as well. jon: part of the frustration for parents, the police had to sweep the school and insure there is no other danger. has that been completed at this point as far as you know? >> they're still working on a sweep. that is the correct protocol. that is drilled with each police department on the area. there are maps of every school, closet, building. they take a very, pragmatic approach and go through each of their own class to -- place is secure. so you're absolutely right, they're working on that right now, and that's the appropriate

procedure going forward. jon: some of the early reports suggested there might be multiple gunmen. have you seen anything to verify that, or are we just talking about one shooter here who is dead? >> i've heard that same report. i don't have any information that would either confirm, you know, or dispel that report at this time. it's an active, very active investigation. state police take the lead along the newtown police department and, obviously, our police department's providing any help necessary. jenna: we've heard that some of the families are being told to go to a local firehouse. >> yep. jenna: can you give us a status report, have families been reunited with their children, or is it still a process of them going right now? >> it's my understanding that most of the children have been reunited with families. they had, again, my hat goes off to newtown. they did a tremendous job in managing a very difficult situation. they had, you know, a plan in place, an evacuation plan in place, and they followed it to the t, it worked. they were able to hold the

students and protect the students while this catastrophic event was going on, and i'm pretty sure everybody's been reunited in terms of children and families. jenna: i'm getting some more breaking news into our newsroom from your local newspaper, the hartford current, that says that the shooting took place inside the kindergarten classroom. can you confirm that for us? >> i cannot. jenna: okay. mr. mayor, what do you think's important for you as we take a look at this community, again, a k-4 school, nearly 700 students. have you ever had something like this happen before in the community? >> you know, this is a very quiet, peaceful area of the country. no, we haven't. but i will say that there's a reason why we have all these emergency management plans and they work, and this is the reason why we even drill with kindergarten students about how to evacuate the building appropriately. this is why. so with the right planning, we avoided what could have been an even worse, catastrophic event than we have here, and the

parents can feel comfort that the greater community have a plan, the kids know that, and it pays off when you have an awful situation liker -- like this. jenna: mr. mayor, you've been most gracious with your time during a very difficult situation. we so appreciate the time with you and wish you luck throughout the day. we'll, of course, stay close for more information, but thank you very much, sir. jon: mark dowden, the -- bowden, the mayor of danbury, connecticut. an ominous report of what may have happened at this school, just before christmas, right in the middle of hanukkah and then this happens on a beautiful friday morning outside danbury, connecticut. jenna: if you're just joining us now at 12 eastern time, 9:00 on the west coast. earlier this morning, around 9:40 east coast time, a shooter walked into the sandy hook elementary school, and we don't know where or what exactly transpired, but there was a shooting that took place.

according to one local report the first we're hearing of this, so we're going to be careful with this report -- that the shooting might have taken place in a kindergarten classroom. according to a mayor from danbury, mayor bowden, he said there are three victims at the hospital. he wasn't able to confirm their state, but he did mention that the injuries are serious. he also confirmed for us one report that there are multiple fatalities. we do not know the identities, we do not know the age. these are certainly developments and details that will transpire over the next several hours. police were called to the scene right away, it's local police, state police, and if you can see on the corner of your screen right there, there's a car. you see the yellow tape kind of marked off around that car. we don't know any information about that car, but we do know a shooter entered the building right after, jon, the school apparently locks its doors in the morning, and that's part of their safety procedure for the nearly 700 students in that school. jon: our fox affiliate, wfsb

from hartford, has been working the story since it broke this morning. we're going to take you there now and listen to some of their reporting as it comes in live. >> reporter: heightened state of security at their schools as well upon hearing this and, of course, one of the big things that we are waiting to hear and that police are working on right now is what possible motive could be bemind this shoot -- behind this shooting at this school. we do know at least one other person other than the gunman has been shot, and the gunman is dead at this point. >> reporter: and as our sister station in new york city is saying, at least three people were injured, two children and one adult. all three have been taken to danbury hospital, but they also say they're looking for a car, maroon or red-colored vehicle with the back window blown out. that is something that wcbs out of new york city is reporting. again, we're just trying to give you the information that's coming in from so many different sources, choosing the ones we know to be the most reliable with the associated press and our sister stations, wcbs.

they say law enforcement officials have confirmed this to them. >> reporter: and to give you an idea how chaotic the scene as you look and see the resources at the rear of the firehouse that's being used as a staging area, just to give youen an idea, robert goulston reported that police officers came out of the woods escorting a gentleman who was telling people there i had nothing to do with this. but that's the kind of response we're talking about, where anyone found in this area was at least questioned by police, and they want to talk to anyone who was there. police also just as we are working right now to try and get a handle on act -- exactly what has happened. it looks like the helicopter pictures are having a little freeze-up, but that was a shot of the firehouse where this took place, and you can get a better idea of what that scene looks like. the firehouse is just above that label that says dickenson drive at the middle of the map. the building you can see at the

upper left of that label is that firehouse, and that is where robert has been going live, reporting live for us this morning, and then you see the long driveway, the white building -- the firehouse -- the long driveway leading into that school, and that's where police are swarming. >> reporter: police are efforting to have a news conference, 1:00. we understand they're going about two miles away, and they realize that the public is certainly wanting to know as much as possible, especially parents. a reverse 911 call has already gone out to the residents of newtown informing them of this school shooting at sandy hook elementary. danbury times is reporting that students started to hear the gunshots during the morning announcements. >> reporter: i'm sorry to interrupt you, cbs is now reporting that at least one child at the school has died as a result of this shooting at an elementary school, sandy hook elementary school, at least one child at that school has died in this shooting. so, obviously, we had feared that that would be the news that we would be getting, that there

was more casualties. we know that the gunman is dead, and now we are hearing cbs news confirming at least one child there dead as well, just heartbreaking news. >> reporter: absolutely heartbreaking. let's go live to robert there on the scene. robert? >> reporter: yeah, there is a lot of tenseness here and a lot of confusion. parents just showed up here, of course, after they started getting information that there was some sort of shooting incident here at sandy hook elementary school. and just look around, you can see all of the emergency vehicles, all of the participants mixed -- parents mixed in together. of course, the police are trying to secure the scene over at the school. we do know that there have been at least several people shot. parents are getting information from emergency officials that one of those people shot may be the principal. we are still trying to confirm that. state police are staging an area about two miles from here where they will be doing a news conference to get out some

official information. lieutenant paul advance will be the one -- paul vance will be leading that in the next 20-30 minutes. of course, we will be at that news conference. but right now over at the school parents just confused. we're hearing that, they're very tense. as we were showing up, a lot of the parents were walking out with their children, very young children, third, fourth graders, and they were, of course, very emotional. a lot of them were crying. one parent telling us that his child told him that somebody walked into the classroom and shot the teacher. that's just some of the information. we asked that parent how your child's doing, he was running up the street saying i don't know at this point. so they're still trying to figure out that. there's a lot of information that's coming out. again, the news conference will be happening about two miles from here. we have a crew there, we'll be getting that information very shortly and hopefully to shed some light, lieutenant paul vance telling us this is going to be one of the worst shooting

incidents that we've seen in this state in a very long time, those were direct words from him. but right now newtown police here trying to work with the participants. it seem -- parents. it seems that state police are actually handling the investigation. we have also seen federal agents here including from the atf. there's a lot of heavy weaponry that's being used to go into there. we also are hearing reports that at least one of the gunman finish if there are, if there is just one, maybe more -- was shot and killed. we don't know if that was self-inflicted, or if he was shot during the initial response. excuse me, live right now you can see some of the ambulances leaving the area. they're coming out of the school, and we know that several people were injured in this, and right now we're just trying to figure out exactly who. we've talked to a woman, they do not have details on who was actually shot, but there are some reports that there have been at least two with

fatalities, maybe more. again, lieutenant paul vance telling me this is going to be one of the worst shootings they've seen in a very long time, and can that news conference is supposed to happen momentarily about two miles from here, and we do have a crew there, and we will be bringing that to you live. for now, channel 3 eyewitness news. >> reporter: robert, thank you. >> reporter: setting the scene there -- jon: those are lye reports coming from our fox affiliate, wsfb in hartford, connecticut, and again, only o now words about the situation that's unfolded this morning in newtown, connecticut. you can imagine how terrified the parents are to hear that there are reports that a child or perhaps more than one child has been shot in this terrible event this morning when a gunman apparently walked into a school, opened fire perhaps in the kindergarten classroom. and authorities are apparently saying it is one of the, it's going to be one of the worst

multiple shooting events in connecticut history. jenna: it's interesting, jon, here we are nearing three hours of watching this story develop, and for the first few hours we had no reports of any fatalities other than the gunman, and very quickly the situation has changed where we have learned now of multiple fatalities and getting some more details about who may have been targeted or affected by this shooter. according to a local newspaper, the artford current -- which we've been relying on heavily for some of the latest reporting out of the area -- we're getting a picture from some of the children about what happened inside of the school. one 8-year-old telling the paper that police were checking everybody inside the school before they were escorted to the firehouse, and they told the children they had to walk with a partner. that was one scene by one third grader at the school. another child leaving the school as they were leaving said there was shattered glass everywhere. a police officer apparently ran into the class room where this student was and told them similarly to run outside -- simply run outside and keep

running until they reach the firehouse. the firehouse is key. you may have seen it in a few of our shots, it's where the local authorities are telling the parents to go where they can be reunited with some of the students there. and this is an ongoing process, parents being reunited with students. yet we're waiting on details about the injuries and also the fatalities that we're just learning about. jon: again, it's still developing there. outside danbury, connecticut, a place called newtown, an elementary school, k-4 grades. all of the front office staff as far as we can tell are females. the principal, the vice principal, some of the school leadership, all women. whether that figures into what happened here, we don't yet know. but we're continuing to keep an eye on the situation. we'll get more developing, more details as they develop, try the wring you -- bring you the very wring you -- bring you the very latest just ahead on "happening. now" n. clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've gotine grams of protein.

that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth! [ female announcer ] almost nothing can dampen a baby's mood, when he wakes up dry in pampers. unlike other diapers, pampers has 3 absorbent layers,

for up to 12 hours of protection overnight, and more beautiful mornings. ♪ pampers. peaceful nights. playful days.

jenna: we get you back to connecticut as we learn more

about that breaking situation there and the school shooting n. the meantime, want to turn to washington, d.c. and the latest news there as we get more fallout from the deadly consulate attack in libya. there are conflicting reports on whether secretary of state clinton will actually testify to a house committee on that ambush that killed four americans including our ambassador. secretary of state clinton was expected to face the house foreign affairs committee next week, but now the state department is saying maybe not. chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge is live in washington with more details. >> reporter: good morning. really three key developments this morning, the republican chair of the house intelligence committee has said he believes there was, quote, gross negligence on behalf of the state department for failing to adequately protect the ambassador. as we first reported here on fox, there was an emergency meeting in benghazi, and at that meeting they sent a cable warning hillary clinton's office in washington that they could not withstand a coordinated attack and that there were at least ten islamist militias or

al-qaeda groups training in benghazi, and they asked for more assistance. those requests were turned could be and -- turned down and, in fact, the security presence was further drawn down after that emergency meeting. number two, there's a back and forth over the appearance next week of the secretary of state. both of the relevant committees are expecting her on thursday, though the state department is suggesting that the date may slide arguing that she is not required to testify or would not anticipate testifying until this internal review called an accountability review board or arb is complete. and then the last development which i think is extremely significant is based on these regulations. these regulations cover this internal state department investigation. based on these regulations, there does not appear to be any requirement for the complete, unvarnished report to be sent to congress when it's complete. there only appears to be a requirement for hillary clinton to provide to congress her summary or bullet points, if you will, of that report, and that has to be done within a 90-day

period. so the question is whether there will be a move by congress to subpoena secretary of state clinton to testify if necessary and whether they will push for the result, unvarnished report if necessary. jenna: catherine, thank you. jon: more on this with republican senator bob corker. he was opposed to ambassador rice's possible nomination and joins us now. so she has withdrawn her name for consideration. does that in any way change the investigation into what happened in benghazi, senator? >> oh, i don't think so. i think certainly susan rice had nothing to do with the security. i think most of us just thought that she was a little bit more of a political operative than she was a principal and had concerns about her service. i never thought she was going to be appointed, by the way, or at least i haven't for some time because i think the white house was able to see the reception that she got there. but, look, benghazi, i was able

to yesterday see the footage from the drone as far as what happened on the ground. i was able to also see from security cameras the groups that were coming in. i do think that we will continue -- there's no question we're going to continue to force a look at the security measures there because the way folks were able to come into our compound with such ease in an area that is totally controlled by militias, i think, is something that every american wants us to make sure we pursue to its end. and i do think secretary clinton will end up testifying, and i hope that the arb is ready for, ready thursday for her to come in and do that. i mean, that's what we expect, and i think she will come before us. jon: president obama has said these were unfair and misleading attacks on his u.n. ambassador and suggested that the politics of the moment played a role here. >> yeah. jon: what do you say to that? >> yeah. well, i do think the politics of

the moment played a role, and they played a role with ambassador rice coming on five sunday morning programs and acting very much like a political operative. and i've tried to move onioned that, jon, and -- move beyond that, jon, and say, look, first of all, i would have given her a fair hearing. i do not think she was going to be confirmed. it wasn't just that, it was just her nature. she just strikes most of us who have had contact with her through the years more as a political operative. most of us see the office of secretary of state as something that is almost a first among equals. we want someone who is independent. we know they're going to support the president, but we want someone who will pull the president in a direction that's good for our country when he's off base and maybe pursuing something that politically is maybe good for him but not good for the country. we want somebody more independent, and i think most of us felt that she was not

independent, more of a political operative and a loyalist, and i think we'd like -- i know we want someone who, again, is steeped in the knowledge about issues around the world, but is going to be independent enough to pull the president in the right direction when he's off base. jon: all indications arethe frow senator, john kerry. would you support him? >> look, i hate to say anything good, jon, about anybody because it may be bad for them -- [laughter] but i do think that, you know, john kerry -- i mean, it appears that he may be the person. i think he would be confirmed quickly. i think people do view john kerry as someone who is a principal, does have that independence. obviously, he was, he would support the president, but i think he has the ability to pull things in the right direction. i will say that before anybody comes in in that position, i do hope we'll get this benghazi issue behind us. i think it's incumbent upon

secretary clinton to come clean, to allow us to know everything that's happened around this issue. and i think we need to get that swept up and cleaned before we, before we start a new regime, if we will. jon: everyone wants those answers. republican senator bob corker of tennessee, we appreciate you coming on today. thank you. jenna: back to the breaking news now out of connecticut and the school shooting that took place this morning. we're learning a little bit more potentially about the shooter in all of this. and up next, we talk to a parent of a student at sandy hook elementary school where a shooting took place this morning, 9:30, 9:40 eastern time. the very latest with that parent after this quick break.

jenna: back with us now with some more breaking news out of newton, connecticut. you're seeing a live shot of the

woods, apparently, this is probably behind the school. i'm still getting more information about ha this live shot -- what this live shot is showing us. police were out in this area, and they looked like, potentially, they were searching for something. and i think you can see some movement in the center of your screen there. so i'm going to wait for some more information on that so we can tell you exactly what's going on, how this figures into the investigation. in the meantime, i want to bring in lisa. her daughter, leah, is 8 years old, a third grader at sandy hook, and lisa's been gracious enough to join us and tell us a little bit about what happened this morning, lisa. can you tell us what your daughter told you happened inside the school? >> yes. she was in a, um, a small class, a reading group, and they started hearing, um, i guess bangs, and her teacher -- which i'm so grateful for -- there was just a small group, they rushed the kids into the bathroom, and

they locked the door, and they just told the children that it was hammering and tried to keep them calm. and the next thing i know, because it's very hard to get a complete story, the next thing i know is that, um, the police came in, and they were knocking on the door to be let out of the classroom, and when they were, she had seen glass and blood. one child was covered in blood, but i understand that child is safe and was not hurt. it must have been somebody else's. jenna: we're hearing some different reports about the injuries and fatalities and still trying to learn more information as we can to bring that to our viewers and everyone that's watching and listening right now, lisa. what was your experience as a parent? when kid you first -- when did you first hear of something happening at the school, and what happened after that? >> well, i was -- it was funny, because i was on my computer,

and, um, i get breaking news, and they were -- the schools were on lockdown because of a shooting in sandy hook. and when i think back, i thought it was the town. and the next thing i know, i get a call from carrie summers, her reading teacher, who is my hero right now. i can't thank her enough for calling me and telling me that my daughter was safe and at the firehouse. so they brought the children from the school, the majority of them, to the firehouse, and they -- jenna: and what was the scene like there? >> chaotic, chaotic. all i know is that, um, i had children crying, and i knew their parents, so i called them on their cell, and one parent was scared about her first grader. she couldn't find -- so i looked for a teacher, and i could not find, and i know i think this this happened ha in first grade. jenna: we're hearing a few different reports.

some are suggesting the principal's office, some are suggesting the kindergarten class. as you mentioned, maybe the first grade. >> yeah, i heard first grade. jenna: have you heard anything else? i know that the parents are probably trying to compare notes about, you know, what happened, who did it. have you heard anything like that? >> no, i have no idea. i'm watching the news now, and it's saying that the gunman's dead, and the principal may have been shot, and there was a woman with also shot in the leg, but i don't know. jenna: we've heard some of that as well, but we appreciate that because it's been one of those situations that's been so chaotic, and we've been trying to piece it together for our viewers. how is leah doing right now in. >> she's fine. i don't really think that she totally gets it, but she did see, you know, her -- more than i would have liked her to see. she did tell me about a little boy that was in a police officer's arm, and he was bleeding. so -- but i don't know if she gets it or -- jenna: you know, one of the

mayors from the neighboring town, mayor bowden, joined us and said the schools in the area really practice this. has your daughter been in the school since kindergarten? had they practiced the drills, evacuation procedures? >> i believe so. it's a safe school, and i can't say enough good things about teachers and the staff. um, you know, if anybody -- it would be sandy hook school that has it down right because, again, it's the best school that you can -- i'm grateful for my kids to go there. jenna: have the teachers or authorities given you any guidance of what to do next? >> no. jenna: have they said they're going to talk to your daughter? >> no. i'm still in a state of shock, so i don't know the next step. i don't know. jenna: if you could just stand by with us for one moment, lisa, but because i think we're getting more information about what we were seeing on the screen there with the woods, jon? jon: one -- i would just say, jenna, that one parent told authorities said she heard two

big bangs at the time of this shooting. we also know that the federal, the department of alcohol, tobacco and firearms is on the scene. they have recovered more than one firearm and, again, we were told that the shooter walked in with at least two weapons. but whether there is still an active search underway for a second gunman, that's the question, and that may have something to do with that helicopter aerial shot of the woods outside the school. it is a fairly wooded area. it's 60 miles to the north and east of new york city and not heavily populated. there you can see it appears to be a search dog looking around in that area under that tree near the school. jenna: back with lisa just for a moment. lisa, you said this is just a school you appreciate the teachers and love the experience that your daughter has had so far. just in general as you reflect, and i know you're still in a state of shock right now, what is next for the school? do you, do you foresee returning

your daughter to class on monday, or is that, again, still something that's unknown? >> you know, i don't know the details, and -- nor did i ever want to go through this experience. so, again, i'm in kind of, again, just i don't know. i don't know. jenna: we can understand that, and i don't -- you know, it's my fault. i shouldn't have gotten ahead of ourselves, because it's still a situation where we don't have a lot of answers. lisa, i just really appreciate your perspective, especially as a mother in the area. thank you so much for the time. >> thank you very much. jenna: more on this breaking news out of connecticut when we get back. anncr: some politicians seem to think medicare and...

social security are just numbers in a budget. well, we worked hard for those benefits. we earned them. and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future... of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and... social security for generations to come. we can do better than a last minute deal... that would hurt all of us.

jenna: we continue to follow this very developing, chaotic situation out of newtown, connecticut. a school shooting took place around 9:40 eastern time this morning. harris has some brand new information for us now. >> reporter: all right. a couple of things. they have broken down in just the short little while, jenna, the try i can't imagine area -- triage area. the second development is coming from abc news, and we are working to confirm this for ourselves. we know that a news conference is about -- scheduled about 24 minutes from now with the fewtown police department joined by federal officials who are now on the scene. abc news is reporting through those federal local contacts that they have that a dozen people possibly have died today here. again, we're working to confirm that, among them children,

according to abc news. here's what i can tell you. the atf, the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and exclusives is there at the scene. they have sent seven agents from the atf there to the school in connecticut. the agents from the atf have reportedly collected firearms. we're not told how many. but they are now working with the state police in connecticut with whom i've spoken with today so that we knew we had multiple shootings here. we still don't know the configuration, how many adults, how many children. abc news, of course, reporting these fatalities through their sources. we're working with ours now to term if this up. -- full-term this up. jenna, we knew early on in this story that this was anticipated to be the worst in many years shooting scene in this connecticut state history. an elementary school with possibly more than one crime

scene inside the school through what we're learning from reports. the principal's office, a kindergarten classroom, possibly multiple firearms. we know the atf is picking those up now. children among those injured, according to abc news, children among those killed today. a terrible situation. a code reddish shoed throughout the town. i knew that earlier from the emergency management agency there on the ground in newtown, connecticut. jenna, jon? jenna: harris, thank you very much. want to be very clear with our viewers, we have two major items confirmed right now when it comes to this school shooting, and that's about it. we know that there's a school shooting, and we know that the good gunman is dead. as far as the fatalities and injuries, we have zero details on that confirmed. we hope to hear directly from the state and local police in, hopefully, around ten minutes, so we want to get those news items confirmed to you, but we do not want to rush anything at

this time. it's such a sensitive story. a shooting at an elementary school, k-4. nearly 700 students there. we'll keep you posted as we hear more. jon: well, "happening now" to one of the big political stories coming out of washington, it didn't take long for the blame game to start. this after ambassador susan rice withdrew her name from consideration to become secretary of state. nbc's white house correspondent chuck todd was quick to blame what he called conservative media. listen. >> there were legitimate questions to ask about the benghazi story, but the idea that she belonged in the center of those attacks never made a lot of sense. she sort of became a victim of this. jon: so what about that? fair? let's check in with our news watch panel, judith miller, a pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter and kirsten powers, a daily beast columnist. i guess chuck todd would have us believe that susan rice,

ambassador rice's statements on the morning shows about what happened in benghazi played no role whatsoever in her decision to withdraw her name from consideration, judy. >> well, of course, this is just -- it's ludicrous. chuck todd has been a great defender of susan rice, and i have been very, very critical -- as you know, jon and kirsten -- of the administration's handling of the benghazi disaster. but i will say this, the response to susan rice, the focus on her, the killing of the messenger is, as joe scarborough has said, disproportionate. and i find it very unusual that this campaign, though led by republicans, was quickly joined by liberals and by left-wingers who accused susan rice of being too cozy with african dictators. she was getting it from all sides. what really, really offends me is the personal natures of the attacks on her by journalists

who should have known better. maureen dowd called her too ambitious, too unprincipled for the country. dana mill banks said that she had an attitude problem. this kind of reaction was totally inappropriate. jon: kirsten, we also heard from andrea mitchell who said this was not going to help republicans, forcing a woman of color out of the consideration to become secretary of state. where does that play into all this? >> it's irrelevant. it has nothing to do with anything. first of all, we've had a woman african-american secretary of state, you know, a republican, actually, who was confirmed by the same people who are criticizing susan rice. and can, you know, i think that the storyline that somehow -- and this was what susan rice said in her withdrawal -- was that she somehow got caught up in partisan politics isn't a true story. because as judy just said, there were liberals that came after her in very personal terms.

the criticisms from the republicans were actually about benghazi, and, you know, the criticisms from the left were much more perm, and i think -- personal, and i think, was the turning point. i think if the left hadn't gotten on the bandwagon, maybe she wouldn't have had to withdraw her name. so clearly the tide turned against her when you had a major new york times reporter coming out against her, for example. jon: well, and are the media remembering what happened to john bolton -- >> exactly. jon: he was given a recess appointment, and tried -- you know, his name was submitted to the full senate for confirmation, but that was shot down, judy. nobody seems to remember that there was mostly partisan politics involved in that. >> i mean, in the has always been partisan, it's always been political. nominees of major national security officials are not exempt from politics, but they should be exempt from the kind of ad hominem, personal, really

vicious attacks that we saw against susan rice. it was completely uncalled for. there were reasons to oppose her on policy grounds. the republicans pretty much stuck to that, and i agree with kirsten. if this hadn't been joined by the left, she wouldn't have had to withdraw. jon: judy miller and kirsten powers, our news watch panel, thank you. >> thank you. jenna: any moment now out of newtown, connecticut, we expect to hear from state and local officials about what transpired at sandy hook elementary school, still trying to piece together multiple reports from a variety of sources about what actually happened inside that elementary school about three hours ago. again, reports that there are multiple fatalities, identity, age yet unknown at this time. we want to be very careful with these reports as they come into our newsroom. we did hear from one parent just moments ago, a parent of an 8-year-old in the a school who said that her teacher was able to get the little girl out by hiding and locking themselves in the bathroom and then being able

to escape. jon? jon: let's also take you now to washington, d.c. where jay carney is holding his daily briefing, talking about the susan rice situation. let's listen in. >> so at this point i'd rather just inform you that the president has been informed about the shooting, was informed at 10:30 and is being given regular updates as more information becomes available. >> will we hear from him today? >> you know, we'll just have to keep you updated as more information becomes available. >> two other topics. in the abc news interview, the president was asked about the legalization of marijuana in a couple of states where voters sounded off on that and essentially said that, um, it's not a high priority for him, no pun intended, i guess, to go after recreational users. but, obviously, this is a serious issue, states' rights versus federal rights. and i'm wondering if there's any

concern that the president's comments could signal that states, you know, it's okay to go ahead and pursue your own policies on marijuana, we're not going to enforce it at the federal level? jon: all right, we are -- and my apologies, i thought that jay carney was going to be talking about the withdrawal of susan rice from contention to be secretary of state. he did mention that the president was informed about the connecticut school shooting and has been staying on top of the situation. harris has breaking news for us now. >> reporter: yeah. this is just coming into our newsroom. a hospital in danbury, connecticut, which is not awfully far from the scene of where the shooting happened, almost three hours ago now, in newtown, connecticut, that hospital spokesperson saying that it is on lockdown out of an abundance of caution and to protect confidentiality of the patients which have been taken there. they have only the needed staff at that hospital at this point. they've sent others away.

so, basically, if you are not essential to saving lives at that hospital, you've been told to go home. they have only treated three patients, they say reportedly. again, this is the hospital in danbury, connecticut, not too far from the scene in which you're. watching live on the screen now, that's newtown. they do not anticipate any more patients to be transported to their hospital at this time and, of course, we know this, they are not releasing any specific information about patient status, so on and so forth. no discussions that they've had with any of the families. i do want to caution, jenna said this earlier, jon, i think we all have, that as information comes in on this story, we have to be careful about reporting numbers. we have seen a jump in the reports about how many people have been shot and possibly killed today. i can tell yo from different sources the numbers are above 12. some of them have them as high as in the 20s at this point. injuries and fatalities. we're working here at fox news to shore that up.

we want to be responsible in telling you what we can confirm. we also want to tell you because, of course, we're in the world of twitter and everything else, you may be seeing it, that we're seeing the same reports. we're chasing them down. no doubt about it, this is a horrible scene playing out in newtown, connecticut. back to you guys. jon: and as you were just speaking there, harris, we got some information in that at least five children are dead. this has been confirmed by our fox news producers and confirmed by two law enforcement sources, at least five children dead, four adults dead, and the number, again, as harris just mentioned, could go higher. the adult gunman is also dead. the initial reports indicate he drove to that school from new jersey. two handguns were recovered from the scene. the status, the motive here still unknown, absolutely no indication what the motive was according to one investigator. but that's going to be pieced together in the days and weeks

to come. teachers are being called heroes for the way they responded, having locked their classroom doors to keep the gunman out. and apparently, many of the fatalities took place, as jenna was saying earlier, in a kindergarten classroom. just an awful situation. we are still waiting for a police briefing. the news conference set to begin in 15 minutes or so, but obviously, in a fluid situation like this very often those things are postponed. you can see the bank of microphones there at the ready. jenna: a fluid situation, jon, as you just mentioned. state and local firms are involved. we just heard from jay carpny that the president is aware of this school shooting and is receiving regular updates on it. we also understand that the fbi is supporting state law enforcement at least at this time. what you've been watching along with us for the last several hours has been a very organized chaos, if you will. many responders to the scene, multiple ambulances, but at the

same time we've been questioning about what actually happened with the injuries and fatalities. we're learning more about that now. as harris mentioned, as jon mention ld, we're just getting initial reports at this time that there are children among the dead to the left of your scream, you see someone running. guys, is that a live shot? just to be clear, what you're seeing behind the school there with the wooded area, as we saw one of the scenes that seemed active, some law enforcement rushing into this field in the back, and we're still trying to figure out how that, that adds into the investigation. were they concerned about an accomplice? it doesn't seem to be the case at this time despite some early reports. what about the weapons? we're hearing multiple reports, one being confirmed that there were two guns at the scene, but what about other firearms as well? again, a very developing situation three hours in. we do know the shooting took place 9:40 eastern time, right as classes got started. jon: there also were reports that authorities were still

looking for a second vehicle they believed to be involved, they were looking for a burr gandhi van with a blown-out back window. whether there might have been another gunman involved, again, it seemed speculative in the early going, but they are apparently actively looking for a second vehicle. harris is still working the story for us from the breaking news desk and perhaps can bring us some new information. harris? >> reporter: you know, as the story was breaking, one of the things that i do, jon ask and jenna, is i do jump online and try to see who i might want to follow. representative john fray, who serves his seventh term right now connecticut house of representatives, has been tweeting out in the last short while that he has nieces and nephews at that school, that they have been pulled out, that they are at the firehouse, and they are safe. representative john fray says that he is learning there on the ground and seeing reports that a gunman who was masked came into the newton town school. so this is one of the areas that we'll follow, those local

officials, if you will, those elected officials who are communicating via online. back to you guys. jon: all right. harris faulkner working the story from our breaking news desk. again, we have been told to expect a police news conference in about ten minutes, but very often in a situation like this those things get pushed back and back and back. still a very chaotic situation even as recently as, oh, half an hour ago or perhaps a bit more when we were speaking to the mayor of danbury, he said that the sweep of the school was still underway. police go in in a situation like this, they have to make sure that they have covered every base and cleared every classroom, so they have a sizable elementary school that houses normally about 600 students to go through, and they were still upside way with that project -- underway with that project within the last hour. so, again, we have it confirmed that there are at least five children and four adults who are dead in this situation, but the number could go higher. jenna: we're actually hearing

some confirmation that the number probably is higher at this time and also learning a little bit more about the shooter in this situation. according to one of our fox news producers, we're now learning that the shooter was wearing a military vest. there is a possible second shooter, but that is not confirmed at this time. as we've mentioned to you in the reports about the second shooter have gone back and forth along with the report of an additional car that law enforcement might be looking for. according to this one report from our fox news producer as well, we're hearing that there's 26 deiced at this time. -- deceased at this time. eight adults and 18 children according to our latest information. at this time, as you continue to take in video that we have of the scene along with the live shot of the press conference that is going to be underway in a moment, we can also report that there is no current, active shooter. we did tell you that the gunman, one gunman was dead at the scene. what transpired, whether he took

his own life or whether or not law enforcement was involved, we do not know. we do know that police have cleared the school, and the governor of connecticut is on the scene as well. jon: we are told that that number, jenna, the 26 dead actually does not include the gunman. we're told that 18 children are deceased and eight, eight adults who were working inside sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut, it certainly ranks as within of the worst -- one of the worst mass shootings in this country in decades really. 26 dead so far. who was the gunman, what was the motive? we don't know yet. but, again, that number could go up. three people have been taken to local hospitals. we don't know anything about their conditions. again, the fact that a relatively small number of injured were taken away is, in this situation, not a good sign. jenna: we felt some comfort earlier on when we were watching

the live scene at the triage mats that were on the ground and thinking, well, maybe if there's no one being taken out of the building on a stretcher, maybe this is limited in scope. and what we're learning now is a very different picture, indeed. so again, as we're reporting to you, 26 deceased at this time; 8 adults, 18 children. where the shooting took place is still undone firmed. -- unconfirmed. we have heard differing reports, one being the principal's office, one being the kindergarten class, the other the first grade. a parent joined us a few minutes ago, her third grader was in a reading class, and her teacher told the class this is construction work, this is a hammer and got the students into a bathroom and locked the doors there. they kept that door locked and kept the students inside the bathroom until police came and took them to the firehouse. the scene that they describe, the young student, the 8-year-old, says she saw

shattered glass in the building, some blood as well. she also saw a police officer carrying out what looked like an injured little boy. the status of that little boy, his identity we don't know at this time. trying to figure that out for you as well. jon: the shooter, we're told, was dressed in black bdus and a military-style vest. it certainly sounds like the kind of preplanned thing that you saw in the aurora movie shooting massacre. this doesn't necessarily have all the hallmarks of a domestic dispute that caused somebody to suddenly snap and walk into school, this sounds like it was planned. but, again can, you know, all of that is for another day. right now there is the grieving to handle. eighteen students, we're told, are dead at this connecticut elementary school. eight adults as well at the hands of a gunman who took at

least two weapons, a glock and a cig sauer, into an elementary school, possibly even a kindergarten classroom and opened fire. it's just beyond comprehension how somebody could want to do something like this, but that's what they're dealing with in connecticut right now. jenna: the big question for all these stories is why, you know, what is the motive, why would anyone do this ever? we know that's a question we struggle with and you struggle with at home, and brightly so. harris -- rightfully so. we say bdus, that's battle dress uniforms. this guy however old he was was dress inside what seems to be described in military gear, and that doesn't suggest it's official military gear. you can buy this stuff online, and, you know -- >> reporter: absolutely. your connection to the military and mine as a dependent, i immediately wanted to know more about what this guy might have looked like. now, remember the representative there, fray, had tweeted out guy seen masked gunman.

mask we're not positive about, but dressed in black bdu uniforms, those are vital to every mission. that's how they're termed in the military. they're cutting-edge military gear. that would mean this guy walks on the scene, he's going to be a tough target even if you do have an opportunity to take him out the way he's dressed and quite frightening. can you imagine this for the children? we want to bring everybody forward now with the story. the timetable for the news conference is shift ago little bit. we were hoping it was about three and a half minutes, they may take a little more time. we'll pop up with it as soon as it happens, of course, here on fox news channel. but i can tell you from very early on lieutenant paul vance with the newtown police department there and his emergency response team were working first to get the triage together, they pulled that back when they realized it wasn't necessary and peeled those tarps off the ground about 45 minutes ago. and then they were setting up the command center about two miles from this location.

we know that that has been the central point. they've notified the president from there letting him know, and i would guess many more details than we were given very early on and even now. so as we wait for that news conference and we get those heartbreaking numbers that now are being confirmed; 26 dead -- not including the gunman -- 18 of them children. no doubt we'll learn more possibly as early as the top of the hour, but potentially a little bit after that. jon and jenna? jon: we are awaiting this news conference from authorities. it appears that they are getting ready to begin, harris. they are giving some microphone checks and so forthright now. you can see in this videotape from earlier, um, just the chaos that erupted outside this elementary school. newtown, connecticut, a very, very peaceful place about 60 miles to the north and east of new york city. not the kind of thing where you expect this to happen on a beautiful friday morning just

before christmas and in the middle of hanukkah. but just what an awful situation has really transformed that village, that town as a gunman walks into this elementary school with two guns and opens fire. jenna: a town like so many across our country, jon. less than 30,000 people, a school with nearly 700 students, kindergarten through fourth grade. again, according to unconfirmed reports, the kunder garten class -- kindergarten class is potentially where the main part of the shooting took place. although we do know that 18 children are involved in this shooting are dead, we do not know their ages, we do not know their classes as we've heard conflicting news from the ground there. it could be a first grade class as well. we've also heard of multiple deaths as well with adults. so hopefully when we get this press conference, we're going to get more details for you because the information coming out of this breaking news situation has been difficult on so many levels to piece toghe